The Hunt-Minnesota Test for Organic: Brain Damage in Cases of Functional Depression

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Meehl, Paul E.; Jeffery, Mary
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/h0062346
• 发表日期: 1946
• 页码: 276-287

摘要

The Hunt-Minnesota test was given to a group of 15 persons with functional depressions, of whom 9 were psychotic and 6 neurotic. All were between the ages of 34 and 55, and were neurologically and serologically negative for organic brain damage. None had a history of alcohol or drug addiction, head trauma, or encephalitis. Six were under mild sedation (amytal, nembutal or seconal) at the time of testing, but it had been shown previously that sedation even at its height did not alter test results. All were cooperative and attentive. One was so greatly disturbed as to fail as many as 3 of the interpolated tests, but 11 subjects did not fail any of them. The mean T-Score was 70.2 with an S.D. of 15.41. Both the mean and S.D. differed significantly from a hypothetical population with mean at 50 and S.D. at 10. By setting up confidence belts for the estimation of population mean and variance, it was shown that at the very least one could expect 1 in 4 functionally depressed patients to make pathologic scores (T > 70); or by setting the critical score at 66 (which is diagnostic score of the test) about 1 in 3 would make this score. The best estimate is that about half of functionally depressed patients would score high on the Hunt test. It is not possible, from the external manifestations of the patients'' emotional disturbance, for examiners to separate valid from invalid scores. As it now stands the Hunt test is not entirely specific for organic brain damage and scores by depressed patients must be interpreted with caution.